Candle Safety

Always put candles on a heat resistant surface. Be especially careful with night lights and tea lights which get hot enough to melt plastic. TVs are not fire-resistant objects.

Put them in a proper holder. Candles need to be held firmly upright by the holder so they won't fall over. The holder needs to be stable too, so it won't fall over either.

Do not put candles near curtains or other fabrics - or furniture, and keep them out of draughts.

Do not put candles under shelves. It's easy to forget that there's a lot of heat above a burning candle. If you put it under a shelf or other surface then it can burn the surface. Make sure there's at least three feet (one metre) between a candle and any surface above it.

Keep clothes and hair away. If there's any chance you could lean across a candle and forget it's there, put it somewhere else. You don't want to set fire to your clothes or your hair.

Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.

Keep candles apart leave at least four inches (10cm) between two burning candles.

Take care with votive or scented candles. These kinds of candles turn to liquid to release their fragrance, so put them in a glass or metal holder.

Do not move candles when they are burning - extinguish before moving them. Also, don't let anything fall into the hot wax like match sticks.

Do not leave candles burning unattended; extinguish them before you leave a room. Never go to sleep with a candle still burning. And never leave a burning candle or oil burner in a child's bedroom.

Use a snuffer or a spoon to put them out. It's safer than blowing them, which can send sparks and hot wax flying.

For personalised and decorated candles it is advised that they are for decoration only, but if you remove all wrapping, ribbons and embeleshments the candle is safe to burn with the personalisation on.